The Berkeley Executive Program (BEP), the flagship program of the Haas School’s Center for Executive Development and one of the longest running executive programs in the United States, has succeeded in preparing senior executives from around the world for the strategic management challenges of an increasingly global and technology-oriented business environment for nearly five decades.

This fall’s BEP program enjoyed even greater international participation than ever, especially from China, Japan, and Europe. The program addressed both the key issues and the latest strategic thinking for advanced business management.

“The Berkeley Executive Program offers a great opportunity for companies to groom their management talent in global management issues,” said Paul Stames, assistant dean for executive learning. “Our participants’ exposure to business executives from some of the most dynamic international markets not only is a great networking opportunity, but also offers a opportunity to learn to work with peers from very different cultures.”

BEP kicks off its 20-day program with a one-day Learning Journey, removing participants from the every-day world of their careers and exposing them to the latest in research and powerful ideas and businesses emanating from the UC Berkeley campus.

Past BEP participants have toured the Advanced Light Source lab at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab and the Cybercut research lab at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, which focuses on getting leading-edge products to market faster. They have visited UC Berkeley spin-off Nanomix, a nanotechnology company, and the Siemens Technology incubator. Lectures by Dr. Edward Penhoet, co-founder of Chiron and former dean of the School of Public Health, and Professor Donald Glaser, Nobel Laureate in Physics, offered interaction with some of UC Berkeley’s most innovative thinkers.

BEP is offered twice a year, in three-day modules over a six-month period between January and June, and as a one-month block in September/October. For more information about BEP, please visit http://execdev.haas.berkeley.edu/index.asp.